The InHara System

The story of Marissa’s journey to become a yoga teacher had simple beginnings. She spent her childhood dancing and decided to pursue both a high school diploma from a performing arts school, and a BFA in dance from The Ohio State University.  While Marissa was an inspired and passionate dancer, she was a step behind other dancers as her level of flexibility fell short of her peers.

A heartbreaking realization for her at the time, but thankfully the genesis for a new direction in her life. During Marissa’s junior year at OSU, she started taking yoga classes for the sole purpose of improving her flexibly.  The practice of yoga not only challenged her but readily rewarded her.  Marissa embraced the challenge and  practiced with focus and dedication.

During her senior year at OSU, Marissa was employed at a spa for women which offered yoga when  the universe conspired... she was asked to cover for a sick teacher, and the rest is history.

It has been more than 20 years since that first class in Ohio, and yoga has led Marissa to many trainings, workshops, injuries, joys, and pains during that time. Her practice personally and professionally is a relationship like any other. Sometimes she is madly in love with it; desiring to play, groom, embrace, and explore all that it is trying to teach her. But at other times she hasn't wanted to even look at her mat, utilizing a sheer act of will to get herself into a few minutes of breathing and moving in unison.

Marissa has taught yoga in and around the Boston area since 1999. She has taught variations of her evolving practice at yoga studios, fitness clubs, in many private homes, on retreat, and more. At this point, Marissa's style blends teachings of the Iyengar Method, Astanga, Anusara, and other integrated interpretations from yoga teachers around the world.  Most simply her practice has evolved into Marissa Farrell Yoga. These classes are structured to teach a new concept month to month with 1 or 2 concepts which continue for up to 6 to 12 months of every year. Class inspiration is found in art, poetry, the Yoga Sutras, national politics, and current events. Marissa pulls from a variety of experiences that include a lifetime of dancing, 20+ years of yoga, anatomy & massage training at the esteemed Bancroft School of Massage Therapy, working as a doula, and studying female pelvic anatomy, including advanced techniques such as Techniques of Abdominal Therapy.

Yoga embraces life. It is neither a shield nor an excuse to look away. Yoga invites us to turn off the mind chatter and life noise to actually use all our senses to live in this complex world, instead of being distracted by it. All of us can practice and Marissa's classes encompass all from beginners to advanced yogis.